The U.S. markets show no real improvement, but they have not dropped further. Europe has been slow with many people away attending a trade event. Asia is starting to move in the right direction, but it needs more impetus to push it to the next level.-by Adrian Brown

U.S. trucking fleets shrank the past few years, even as the volume of goods transported is rising, an analyst said at the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association Annual Meeting last week in Palm Desert, California.

The average price this year for an oil change using five quarts of semi-synthetic oil rose 11.4 percent to just under $48 this year, while the cost for one with full synthetic oil dipped to just over $74, according to results from National Oil & Lube News survey of quick-lube operators.

U.S. lubricants demand - estimated at 2.5 billion gallons in 2017 - will remain stable through 2022 as shrinking demand for consumer lubes is offset by demand growth for industrial and commercial automotive products, according to forecasts of a market research and consulting firm.